


Glasses make a man

by fluffyhojo



Series: Fantastic (Beasts) Drabbles And Where To Hoard Them. [6]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eskimo Kisses, Established Relationship, Fluff, I don't have them often myself, I'm really sorry if this came out weird, Innuendo, Insecurities, M/M, The last three at least mentioned., because Percival just can't stop himself, but just at the end, nuzzling, only a bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 14:18:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15366492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffyhojo/pseuds/fluffyhojo
Summary: Percival comes home early and gets a nice surprise. Newt doesn't think so sadly.





	Glasses make a man

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yvonne_tsugu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yvonne_tsugu/gifts).



> This is only partly beta read! It will get a full beta-read update later on. 
> 
> My entrance for the Fantastic Beast Calendar collection. 
> 
> Now with the gorgeous sketch from [sssilkworm/Six](http://sssilkworms.tumblr.com/) on tumblr, which I got the permission to post here and which was made from an excerpt of this story <3

# Glasses make a man

Newt was insecure about a lot of things. Most of them had to do with his interactions regarding humans. While he was mostly sure about his interactions with beasts, especially the ones he had a longer time to study, he was only mediocre when it concerned his own species. He knew he looked too lanky and was bad with keeping eye contact with anyone, but that was just who he was. It wasn’t easy to change and though he tried at times, he mostly didn’t bother.

 

His brother understood him and he had found people in New York who liked him the way he was too, but it was hard for him to actually really believe it at all times. He had moments where he felt so insecure that he would just shrink into himself. His mind going haywire with everything that was wrong with him. 

 

It had all started when he attended Hogwarts. While he still had loved the time he had there (so many creatures to study and befriend), he knew in all objectivity that it hadn’t always been the best. 

 

When Theseus first noticed his habit to freeze up or hide away, whenever his thoughts got especially bad, he sought him out and sat him down. Right away his brother asked what was wrong, but that had only made it worse. In the end they ended up lying close to each other on the grass near the Great Lake and watching the clouds, until Newt was able to relax again. When something like this happened at home, the brothers could often be seen with the family Hippogriffs. Either leaning against them and staring at the sky, or just sleeping next to each other curled up against one of these majestic creatures. More often than not, the Hippogriff in question was the one named Artemis.

 

The first time such a moment of utter distress happened with the Goldsteins after Newt returned to New York, Queenie had started crying and made him sit down with her. They ended up cuddling on the couch and eating heaps of ice cream. Some of his “tamer” beasts adding to the cuddle pile. It had embarrassed him greatly, but Queenie and Tina had done everything to set his mind straight again, made him feel welcome and loved. It wasn’t the last time this kind of thing happened.

 

The next time he zoned out like that had been in Jacob’s bakery. It had ended up with the No-Maj sweetly offering him baked stuff and hot chocolate. In the end he had even managed to get Newt to bake with him. It got Newt thinking about more pleasant things and showed him that he was not the failure he often felt he was. Every now and then they still baked, especially if he was feeling down again while Jacob was around. It was his way to get Newt down to earth, so to say.

 

With Percival it was completely different.

 

At first Newt had been so nervous to actually meet the real Percival Graves because he had heard so many things about him from Theseus already. He had known from the start that he would probably get on the others nerves quite quickly. That they wouldn’t be able to see face to face, because he had broken so many rules already, and Percival was supposed to be a strict man. He was supposed to be all about the law and hard on people that broke aforementioned law. Newt had done so the moment he stepped on American ground the first time he came to New York and then again a second time when the Niffler and everyone else had escaped. He probably broke many more laws after that, especially endangering and befriending a No-Maj one - more than once. (It didn’t help his case either that he broke exactly that law again, shortly after returning to the city.)

 

He wouldn’t have been surprised if the director had put him into jail again, right after he re-entered New York the second time around - even if he had been asked to return by the president herself, because of a possible job as a beast consultant for MACUSA.

 

What did surprise Newt was the fact that they actually managed to become friends.

 

They had a few mishaps, but somehow they still managed to leave these behind quite easily. Sometimes, when Newt got hurt, Percival would be angry and berate him. It reminded him a lot of Theseus and his speeches of self-preservation and being more careful. 

 

In the end they somehow even managed to fall in love with each other. 

 

Newt didn’t know exactly how they got together, but one moment Percival had one of his “Be more careful” speeches, while he had been lying in a hospital bed, and the next he had an armful of an auror on him and hot lips against his own.

 

It ended with embarrassed apologies and talks and a date for when he felt better and was allowed to leave from an actual healer.

 

They had been dating for quite some time now, and in the end Newt had even moved in with Percival, his place being way too big for only one person. At least after visiting the place for the first time, he could relate to the dark circles under Percival's eyes the first time he met him. After the incident with Grindelwald, this place was probably pressing down on the other a lot.

 

It had made Newt filled with warmth, when his lover started relaxing more and more after the move, with all the beast suddenly occupying whichever place they were allowed to occupy. It had been one of many things that had made him feel uncertain at the beginning, but Percival had welcomed him with all the creatures and one day he had even admitted that it felt nice that the manor was filled with more lives than his own now. 

 

With Percival his anxieties and insecurities were slowly worked through whenever another reared its ugly head. They didn’t always vanish completely and they returned every now and then, but his lover always knew the right thing to do to make him relax again. 

 

There was something though, that Newt never told him.

 

He was already unsightly enough in his eyes (if Percival heard that, he would deny that vehemently), which was why he kept the need for glasses when he worked on his manuscript a secret. He only ever used his reading glasses when he was inside his case, because the spells keeping it safe would always tell him when someone approached. He would always be able to hide them away again. 

 

The thing is, not only Percival was feeling safer and better in the manor, but Newt started to relax there as well. Having some of his beasts be allowed out of the case to play, even on the manor grounds for real fresh air and woods to enjoy, really made him feel welcome and safe here. Which brought Newt out of his case to work on notes or other things more often than not, but always when he was sure Percival wouldn’t arrive home while he wore them. 

 

Today was one of those days. Percival was off in an important meeting and probably wouldn’t arrive until late and Newt thought it a good idea to work on the manuscript for his second book again. He had made himself at home on the sofa, Dougal on the back of it combing his hands through his hair and Lilliette, one of the Occamy on his lap. The Niffler was counting coins right next to his hip. It was really relaxing while he went through his notes, glasses on the top of his nose, his pencil currently lightly being chewed on. 

 

He had thought on maybe going more into detail with the creatures, maybe make an even more thoroughly written page about everyone. His mother had wanted to have even more written about Hippogriffs too. 

[ ](https://imgur.com/qB6x5vZ)

He was so concentrated on his task, that he didn’t hear the door open. Wasn’t expecting it happening either, so he was completely surprised when he heard his lovers voice.

 

“Newt, darling? I got a q….”

 

The sentence stopped suddenly and Newt lifted his gaze from the page in his hand up to the sudden appearance of his lover in the door, eyes wide and pencil falling into his lap, making Lilliette squeak indignantly and slither away. At least she didn’t grow in proportions. The Niffler looked up from his own counting, stopped, pushed everything back in his pouch and ran away. 

 

“P… Percy.”

 

Newt was too shocked and wide eyed to actually put his glasses down, actually panicking in the inside. He never wanted him to find out! Now he knew how ugly he really was! It had already been a miracle that Percival wanted anything to do with him before this. Now he would surely throw him out! The ginger head was truly going into a panic attack. His thoughts moving even more irrational than normal. (He usually really didn’t care about what he looked like in the first place, but some comments he heard in MACUSA actually came back to him right now, they weren’t nice ones.) He was just so damn ugly… first all these freckles and the lanky body. The scars of working for years with creatures and getting out of dangerous situations and now these damn ugly glasses!

 

Percival on the other hand was just staring. The sight he had been able to see just now had been utterly adorable. Slightly crooked glasses, pink lush lips biting on a pencil, a cute concentrated little pout on his lips and beasts all around him. If he were anyone else, Percival would have probably blushed at the sight, now he had just been standing there stunned. It just had been so utterly beautiful.

 

That was until he noticed Newt starting to hyperventilate and tears appearing in his eyes. Dougals eyes flashed blue and in the next moment he vanished. Not that Percival actually noticed, because his only worry was the crying face that was suddenly hiding behind the redheads knees, which he had put on the couch. He was there in an instant, his work case and the files he had been holding long forgotten on the ground by the door. Instead his arms were around the sobbing young man as best as he could, murmuring soft nothingness in his ears and rocking him as much as was possible to calm him back down.

 

“Newt. Newt darling. C’mon darling, what’s wrong?”

 

He whispered, hands going through the already messy red hair.

 

“...”

 

“What was that?”

 

He frowned at the soft mumbling, broken up by the silent sobbing.

 

“...m s’rry. *hick*”

 

“What for?”

 

“...’m ugly.”

It just made Percival frown even more. Whoever made Newt think he was anything else but perfect for him?

“You are not.”

“...I am…”

His voice was nearly an indistinguishable mumble against the cloth of the aurors jacket. The frown on Percivals face just grew deeper, but he made sure it vanished when he used his hands to gently push Newt away from him. He did it carefully, but was still unhappy that it just seemed to make it worse. He used both hands to hold onto the red and freckled face, soaking up all the flowing tears and rubbing softly beyond the eyes, trying to get them to focus on him.

“Look at me sweetheart.”

It took a moment until tearful eyes looked up at him, soft hiccups accompanying the crying. It just causes Percival to turn his own gaze even softer, his left thumb rubbing gently at the corner of Newts eye.

“Whoever told you that surely has no eyes in their face.”

He leaned forward to kiss his lover on the forehead and then returned gazing sternly into his eyes.

“Have you not noticed me tracing all those lovely freckles and scars whenever I have the chance to do so? My hands always finding their place on your cheeks or beautiful red hair? How I love moving my hands through your hair?”

Everything he said he accompanied with small kisses or nuzzles to the part he was mentioning. Newts face now not only red because of the crying but because of the tender words and motions too, tears actually slowly stopping to fall.

“You are a handsome, strong and independent human being. You tame and befriend wild beasts, keep them safe and help them survive extinction. You have already made so many potions and creams that help people, all without having to kill the creatures for ingredients. You are currently writing a second edition of your bestseller book!”

Newt was actually calming down slowly, soaking up the kind words and the even kinder gestures. It took him a while to slow his breathing and get his thoughts back in order, but the deep voice of his lover always was a good point to focus on. The touch keeping him grounded. 

He does remember all the times Percival would compliment his freckles, loving to caress them as much as his scars. He just forgot in his moment of insecurity about it all, the words of MACUSA workers ringing in his ears. 

“All these ugly freckles, I don’t understand what Director Graves sees in him?” ; “He likes creatures more than humans, maybe he should just stay with them instead and leave the Director for us. He probably does all sorts of indecent things with them anyway!” ; “He probably has all kind of scars too. I’m sure they are totally ugly!” ; “He can’t even hold eye contact! How did such a coward get his attention?” 

All of these were mostly spoken by the female population of the building, often in a whisper that was more considered normal talking than actual whispering, often getting louder when he walked by. He didn’t try to let it bother him, but sometimes it just couldn’t be helped. 

Right now though...? Right now Percivals voice was drowning all of it out. 

“I’m not here for your looks only, which I still find absolutely stunning. I’m here because you are an incredible man and I’m thankful that you think my old bones to be something worth your time. Don’t let anyone else ever tell you that you’re beneath me or anyone else, because I’m pretty sure whoever would dare say that, has never even accomplished half the things you have.”

By the time Percival was finished with his speech and loving attentions, Newts tears had dried down, his breathing getting normal as well. He still had a few hiccups, but they were happening further apart. 

“Ah, there you are beautiful.”

Percival smiled at him when he lifted his eyes again, really looking at the older man. It brought a tentative smile on his lips.

“You are beautiful.”

He mumbled, nuzzling into the warm hands still holding onto his face.

“And you’re not that old yet.”

He lifted his own hands to hold onto the ones on his cheek, smiling cutely up at him. Percival laughed softly.

“Always trying to comfort other people, but never doing so for yourself.”

He kissed him on the forehead again. 

“That’s my Newt Scamander, beautiful and nurturing, but you held out on me.”

He nuzzled their noses together and then smirked.

“Why did you never tell me you have glasses? You should have seen yourself! All concentrated, huddling on the couch, surrounded by your creatures and looking so adorable with your frowny face and nibbling on the pencil. It looked comfortable too. It was such a stunning picture to see!”

Now it was Newts turn to become even brighter, the red moving over his cheeks down to his neck. It was a fetching color for him according to Percival. His smirk turned even broader.

“It made me want to devour you whole, right on the spot.”

His hands moved slowly down his lovers neck, Newts hands falling away at the movement and he followed them with his nose, nuzzling into the neck in front of him, before kissing the spot right behind the ear.

“Destroy the innocent picture and ravish you right this moment.”

He whispered that into the red ear, getting a small moan and shiver out of it, before moving back and smirking at his lover.

“Sadly I don’t have the time right now and really need your help with the case.”

Newt blinked his eyes open again, looking a bit out of thoughts.

“Case?”, he asked, the voice a bit rusty sounding.

Moving his hand in a come hither motion, the papers that had been lying on the floor lifted themselves up and collectively flew right over to them. They stacked themselves neatly into a pile again, even in the right order. 

Newt watched the show of non-verbal and wandless magic with one of his starry eyed gazes. He always liked to watch Percival work like this, it showed that the injured and exhausted man he had met right after Grindelwald, had recovered well. He may have a nightmare here and there, but Newt wasn’t any better. In fact, they were both evening each other out quite nicely, both nurturing the other when they needed it. 

He was thrown out of his thoughts, when Percy started waving the papers in front of his face, smirking knowingly when Newt just blinked for a moment, before he actually looked at the written words. 

“You see… we may have a case concerning a magical beast and I need your expertise as our Magizoologist to confirm or object that theory.”

The papers got snatched from his hands and Newt was already looking through them before he even had the chance to finish his sentence. It made Percival smile. This way, Newt would be thinking of other things instead of whatever had happened before and he would make sure afterwards, when the case was cleared and they had time for each other again, that he would make his whispered words a reality.


End file.
